Compositions of the essential oils of Ballota nigra subsp. uncinata and subsp. anatolica from Turkey

Abstract

Background: Ballota nigra L. is a member of Lamiaceae family and is represented in the Flora of Turkey by five subspecies. Subsp. uncinata is a mediterranean element while subsp. anatolica is a Irano-Turanian phytogeographic region. Material and Methods: The essential oils from aerial parts of subsp. uncinata and subsp. anatolica were isolated by hydrodistillation. The analysis was performed by using a gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) systems, simultaneously. Results: Twenty-two compounds were identified from the oil of subsp. uncinata representing 96.9% of the total oil and fourteen compounds were identified from the oil of subsp. anatolica representing 88% of the total oil. The major components were characterized as caryophyllene oxide (21.2%), hexadecanoic acid (19.9%), β-caryophyllene (18.9%) for subsp. uncinata and hexadecanoic acid (40.9%) and β-bisabolene (13.4%) for subsp. anatolica, respectively.